LSNED 2014 (a bit late!)

This September I followed Shimelle's learn something new everyday class again.  Have just started a new job I was super busy and made some journaling prompts but hadn't created anything until halfway through the month when I saw my work from 2013 in that days prompt.  It was so exciting and spurred me to start my 2014 album!  In the end I made a tag album using up materials from my stash, each tag has a simple lesson on one side and journalling on the reverse.  It turned into a really fun project that was quick to make and satisfyingly used up lots of scraps.

Xmas cards and a crafty friend

Resolution, make time for making (and boxercise!). My crafty friend and I spent exactly sixty minutes working on Xmas cards today. Now I have a basket of 'ingredients' ready to go so I can make when I get five minutes.  

Fab idea Wendy and I made another card in the five minutes before pickup!  Just another 20 to go which should take about three more hours in 5 min slots.  Now what are those posting dates?!

Layouts at last!

Working and scrapping don't combine very well.  I have been super busy but have found some times to make things and use up some of my quirky kits.  

And today I finally took some pictures too!

Scrapi challenge

Is something we tried recently to focus on scrapbooking and trying new techniques.  Wendy set up a Pinterest board for us and set hpthe first challenge - watercolour with a colour palette:

It was really liberating to select products before I started and not spend ages choosing things and trying to work with everything in my stash.  And here is what we came up with :

The next challenge was using a sketch and a monochrome palette. One of the best things about this kind of meet up is seeing how different the finished pages are, and seeing our styles develop and come out.  Check out our monochrome pages:

Wall art :)

These came from a fun crafty morning with Wendy and Gill where we got paints out and my ridiculous pile of washi tape to make something fun.  I wanted to do something abstract and colourful and I think I did :). I enjoyed it so much I made a second canvas during an arty afternoon with the children in half term.

They have book paper, stencils, stamps, loads of washi tape, stickers, brads and lots of glossy accents.  

Now all I need is a wall to hang them on!

Katie :) 

Twenty twenty

I was inspired by an article by Sian from From High In The Sky to try twenty twenty timed scrapbooking.  It initially caught my eye because it uses the same principle of twenty minute segments like Gilly Cook's keep fit classes but probably less tiring!  

I was at a local crop - so pleased to have found something near to home to maximise scrapping time! - I had about half an hour left which wasn't enough time to make a page so I used 20 mins to plan a page then twenty minutes at home to put down the basics and a further twenty minutes to embellish it.  Well actually it was more like 40 minutes because I did it while I was watching Jenny Jones win her gold medal and had to keep stopping to watch her!

What do you think of my page?

I really liked this way of scrapping and it fitted with my lack of time for complex pages.  I like that I can put things together in a bag with a basic sketch (or one of the hundreds I have pinned!) and then quickly pull something together that is really me.  It shows all the little bits I like to collect and this year is the year of using things up! One in one out policy is in full effect!

A plus mes amis! Katie xxx

Craft space

As every other craft blog I read is full of glamorous photos of beautiful, well organised craft rooms I thought I would share my craft space too!  

I am currently sharing it with a birthday present half wrapped, the children's craft box, a colouring book, the phone and a briefcase/man bag!  I will shortly be moving all this for breakfast to take place :) One day I will have one of those white rooms with lots of cute vintage storage and a desk I can leave things on to come back to, you need a dream!

We did have fun last night making pictures with washi tape though, it is one of those things that I don't mind sharing with the children as I have so much and it doesn't make me wince as they pull off metres of it for each page!  

Can you tell who did which picture?  Art is very revealing of character and personality!